U.S. patent number 5,490,036 [Application Number 08/183,018] was granted by the patent office on 1996-02-06 for portable computer with tiltable keyboard structure having releasably engageable latch assembly members extending therefrom.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Dell USA, L.P.. Invention is credited to John P. Busch, James W. Huffman, Jeng-Hua Lin.
United States Patent |
5,490,036 |
Lin , et al. |
February 6, 1996 |
Portable computer with tiltable keyboard structure having
releasably engageable latch assembly members extending
therefrom
Abstract
A keyboard structure is recessed within an open-topped base
housing portion of a compact portable computer such as a notebook
or laptop computer. Front comer portions of the keyboard structure
are secured to the base housing in a manner permitting the keyboard
structure to be pivoted relative to the base housing between a
storage/transport orientation in which the top side of the keyboard
structure is generally parallel to the bottom side of the base
housing, a tilted use orientation in which the top side of the
keyboard structure slopes forwardly and downwardly toward the user
and an access position which allows easy access to the interior
portion of the computer for making modifications to a mother board
that has been positioned in the upper interior portion of the base
housing. A resilient latch assembly has cooperable detent
structures that are disposed on the keyboard structure and the base
housing. The detent structures are easily detachable from
themselves and also functions to prevent the keyboard structure
from moving downwardly past the storage/transport position.
Inventors: |
Lin; Jeng-Hua (Austin, TX),
Busch; John P. (Austin, TX), Huffman; James W. (Austin,
TX) |
Assignee: |
Dell USA, L.P. (Austin,
TX)
|
Family
ID: |
22671079 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/183,018 |
Filed: |
January 18, 1994 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
361/679.55;
361/679.11; 361/679.12; 400/682 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
1/1616 (20130101); G06F 1/1656 (20130101); G06F
1/1662 (20130101); G06F 1/1667 (20130101); H01H
2223/018 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
1/16 (20060101); G06F 001/16 (); H05K 005/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;364/708.1 ;361/680
;312/223.2 ;400/472,479,682,691,693 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
5153589 |
October 1992 |
Heys, Jr. et al. |
|
Other References
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 29, No. 8, pp. 3491 and
3492, Jan., 1987, "Access Method For Feature Expansion."..
|
Primary Examiner: Phillips; Michael W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Gaines; Charles Huffman; James
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A compact portable computer, such as a laptop or notebook
computer, comprising:
a base housing having a side wall, a top side with an access
opening disposed therein and communicating with the interior of
said base housing and an opposite front and rear side portions;
a lid housing secured to said rear side portion of said base
housing for pivotal movement relative thereto between a closed
storage/transport orientation in which said lid housing extends
across and covers said top side with a front side of the lid
housing facing and generally parallel to the top side of said base
housing, and an open use position in which said front side of said
lid housing is generally transverse to the top side of said base
housing;
a monitor structure carried by said lid housing and having a screen
portion extending along said front side thereof;
a keyboard structure secured to said top side of said base housing
for pivotal movement relative thereto between (1) a
storage/transport orientation in which said keyboard structure is
generally parallel to said top side of said base housing and
extends across said access opening, (2) a tilted use orientation in
which said keyboard structure slopes forwardly and downwardly at a
relatively small angle relative to said top side of said base
housing, and (3) an access position in which said keyboard
structure is generally transverse to said base housing;
a latch assembly having a first latch member depending from an
exterior wall of said keyboard structure and a second latch member
extending from said side wall of said base housing, said first
latch member engageable with said second latch member for
releasably holding said keyboard structure in a selectively
variable one of said storage/transport and tilted use positions,
said said first and second latch members being releasably
disengageable from an exterior of said base housing to permit said
keyboard to be pivoted to said access position to thereby expose
the interior of said base housing through said access opening.
2. The computer of claim 1 further comprising stop means for
preventing downward pivoting of said keyboard structure past said
storage/transport orientation thereof.
3. The computer of claim 2 wherein said stop means include
cooperatively abutting portion of said keyboard structure and said
base housing.
4. The computer of claim 1 wherein said latch assembly includes
cooperatively opposing, engageable detent structures carried by
said keyboard structure and said base housing.
5. The computer of claim 4 wherein said cooperatively engageable
detent structures are a plurality of cooperatively engageable
detents carried by said keyboard structure and said base
housing.
6. The computer of claim 1 wherein said cooperatively latch
assembly on said keyboard structure and said base housing are
defined generally planar portions thereof having interengageable
projections and depressions.
7. The computer of claim 1 wherein the computer has a mother board
located in an upper portion of the interior of said base housing
and to which manual access can be achieved through said access
opening in said base housing.
8. A compact portable computer, such as a laptop or notebook
computer, comprising:
a base housing having a top side with an access opening disposed
therein and communicating with the interior of said base housing,
opposite front and rear side portions, and opposite side wall
portions;
a lid housing secured to said rear side portion of said base
housing for pivotal movement relative thereto between a closed
storage/transport orientation in which said lid housing extends
across and covers said top side with a front side of the lid
housing facing and generally parallel to the top side of said base
housing, and an open use position in which said front side of said
lid housing is generally transverse to the top side of said base
housing;
a monitor structure carried by said lid housing and having a screen
portion extending along said front side thereof;
a keyboard structure having an exposed top key side portion with an
interior side portion extending across said top side of said base
housing, and oppositely disposed side walls depending therefrom and
a front end portion, said front end portion of said keyboard
structure being secured to said top side of said base housing for
pivotal movement relative thereto between (1) a storage/transport
orientation in which said keyboard structure is generally parallel
to said top side of said base housing and extends across said
access opening, (2) a tilted use orientation in which said keyboard
structure slopes forwardly and downwardly at a relatively small
angle relative to said top side of said base housing, and (3) an
access position in which said keyboard structure is generally
transverse to said base housing; and
a latch assembly having a first latch member having projections
depending from keyboard structure side walls and a second latch
member having indentations for receiving said projections and
extending upwardly from said base housing side wall portions, said
projections engageable with said indentations for releasably
holding said keyboard structure in a selectively variable one of
said storage/transport and tilted use positions, said said
projections and indentations being releasably disengageable to
permit said keyboard to be pivoted to said access position to
thereby expose the interior of said base housing through said
access opening.
9. The computer of claim 8 further comprising stop means for
preventing downward pivoting of said keyboard structure past said
storage/transport orientation thereof.
10. The computer of claim wherein said stop means comprise
cooperatively engageable portions of said depending keyboard
structure side walls and said base housing side wall portions.
11. The computer of claim 8 wherein the computer has a mother board
located in the upper portion of the interior of said base housing
through which access to said mother board can be achieved through
said access opening in said base housing.
12. A compact portable computer, such as a laptop or notebook
computer, comprising:
a base housing having a top side with an access opening disposed
therein and communicating with the interior of said base housing,
opposite front and rear side portions, and opposite side wall
portions;
a lid housing secured to said rear side portion of said base
housing for pivotal movement relative thereto between a closed
storage/transport orientation in which said lid housing extends
across and covers said top side with a front side of the lid
housing facing and generally parallel to the top side of said base
housing, and an open use position in which said front side of said
lid housing is generally transverse to the top side of said base
housing;
a monitor structure carried by said lid housing and having a screen
portion extending along said front side thereof;
a keyboard structure having an exposed top key side portion with an
interior side portion extending across said top side of said base
housing, and oppositely disposed side walls depending therefrom and
a front end portion, said front end portion of said keyboard
structure being secured to said top side of said base housing for
pivotal movement relative thereto between (1) a storage/transport
orientation in which said keyboard structure is generally parallel
to said top side of said base housing and extends across said
access opening, (2) a tilted use orientation in which said keyboard
structure slopes forwardly and downwardly at a relatively small
angle relative to said top side of said base housing, and (3) an
access position in which said keyboard structure is generally
transverse to said base housing; and
a latch assembly member including a first generally planar member
with a first end portion depending from at least one of said side
walls of said keyboard structure, said first planar member having a
cooperatively engageable detent therein and a second end portion,
and a said second latch member having a second planar member with a
first end extending upwardly from at least one of said side walls
of said base housing, said second planar member having a detent
therein that is cooperatively engageable with said detent in said
first planar member; a second end portion that is engageable with
the interior side of said top key side portion of said keyboard
structure; and a notch for receiving said second end portion of
said first planar member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to keyboard portions of
compact portable computers such as laptop and notebook computers,
and more particularly relates to a titltable keyboard structure for
portable computers.
Desktop computers are typically designed with detached input/output
devices such as monitors, keyboards, mice, trackballs, etc. which
allow a user to configure the position of the I/O devices in a
manner that is most comfortable or ergonomically convenient. For
example, full size keyboards are typically attached to a desktop
computer via a long keyboard cable. The cable allows a user to
position the keyboard on the edge of a desk, in his/her lap, or in
any other position that is desired, as long as the cable is still
attached. In addition, most full sized keyboards provide tiltable
feet on their underneath side to allow a user to tilt the keyboard
upwardly from the rear. This positions each rearwardly successive
key row at a slightly higher elevation than that of the preceding
key row to thereby ergonomically improve user hand and wrist
orientations during keyboard use.
In contrast to the ergonomic advantages of desktop I/O devices,
notebook computers are typically designed with the I/O devices
physically and electrically attached within the casing of the
computer. For example, the monitor or screen of a notebook computer
is encased within the lid of the notebook computer, and swings
upward from the base via a hinged connector. Mice are replaced with
trackballs or other pointing devices which are mounted within the
base of the computer, or next to the screen. Keyboards are rigidly
mounted with the base of the notebook computer. It is recognized
that the tiltable feature of desktop keyboards is desired in
notebook computing. To acheive this ergonomic advantage, however,
notebook computers provide titltable feet on the rear base of the
computer. Thus, when a user desires to type on the keyboard of the
notebook, the tiltable feet are swung out from underneath the base
thereby tilting the keyboard towards the user. Such an arrangement
provides an ergonomic typing angle if the notebook computer is
placed on a hard flat surface. However, in many environments in
which portable computers are used, such a hard flat surface is
unavailable. Rather, users of portable computers often find
themselves entering data with the computer placed on airplane
trays, file folders, pillows, on their own knees, etc. In these
situations, tiltable feet on the base of the notebook computer do
not have an appropriate surface on which to rest. Therefore, users
are required to type onto a keyboard that is essentially flat. What
is needed is a mechanism which allows a user to adjust the tilt
angle of the keyboard in a notebook computer in environments which
do not provide hard flat surfaces on which the computer can
rest.
In addition to the problems with notebook computers which are
discussed above, another disadvantage in placing all I/O devices,
as well as a central processing unit, memory, floppy drives, hard
drives, Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Association
(PCMCIA) cards, etc., within a single housing is that the housing
of the notebook computer needs to provide access to all of these
parts, as needed. For example, if a notebook computer is designed
to allow a user to upgrade memory, an access door is provided on
the underneath side of the base for example. If the CPU can be
upgraded, an access door may be provided for it as well.
Additionally, other access doors may be provided to allow for
insertion/removal of PCMCIA cards, removable hard drives, modems,
or other system enhancements. However, by adding a plurality of
access doors within a portable computer, the structural integrity
of notebook housing may be compromised. What is needed is a
structure which allows access to components within the housing of a
portable computer, but which does not dramatically compromise the
housing's structural integrity.
It can be seen form the foregoing that it would be desirable to
provide an improved portable computer with a simple, light weight
and cost effective tiltable keyboard mechanism that eliminates or
at least substantially reduces the above mentioned problems
commonly associated with adjustably tiltable keyboard structures.
It would also be desirable to provide an access door within the
housing of a portable computer which does not compromise the
structural integrity of the housing. It is accordingly an object of
the present invention to provide such an improved portable
computer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a preferred embodiment thereof, the present invention provides a
compact portable computer, such as a laptop or notebook computer,
comprising a base housing and a lid housing secured along a rear
side of the base housing for pivotal motion relative thereto
between open and closed positions. In its closed position the lid
housing extends across and covers the top side of the base housing
in a manner such that the computer is externally configured in a
characteristic thin rectangular storage and transport orientation.
When the computer is to be used, the bottom side of the base
housing is placed on top a suitable horizontal support surface, and
the lid housing is pivoted upwardly and rearwardly to its open
position.
The pivotal opening of the lid housing exposes to a user a monitor
screen extending along the front side of the lid housing, and also
exposes a keyboard structure supported within the base housing and
having a top side extending across the open top side of the base
housing in an essentially parallel relationship with the bottom
side of the base housing. According to a feature of the present
invention, the keyboard structure may then be moved relative to the
base housing from this initial storage/transport orientation to,
and releasably locked in, a tilted use orientation in which the top
side of the keyboard structure slopes forwardly and downwardly
toward the user of the computer.
This desirable ability to improve the typing position of the
keyboard structure is preferably achieved by securing the front
side of the keyboard structure to the base housing for upward and
downward pivotal motion relative thereto about a horizontal axis
parallel to its front side, and interconnecting a rear side portion
of the keyboard structure with the base housing using specially
designed, simple, light weight latch means. The front side
connection of the keyboard structure permits it to be selectively
pivoted between a storage/transport position, a tilted use position
and an access position which allows access to the interior of the
computer housing through an access opening positioned on top of the
base housing. The latch means are operative to releasably lock the
keyboard structure in either the storage/transport position or the
tilted use position and, as desired, may be configured to
releasably lock the keyboard structure in more than one tilted use
position. Additionally, the latch means are releasable to allow the
keyboard to be pivoted to its access position.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the latch
means comprise generally planar overlapping portions, with
cooperating detent-type structures, that depend from the side walls
of the keyboard structure and that extend upwardly from the side
walls of the base housing. Preferably, the latch means are
positioned on both side walls of the keyboard structure and the
base housing. The detent structures may be cooperating detent
projections and depressions or may be some other similar design
which allows the latch means to have cooperating interlocking
means.
In another aspect of the present invention, the latch means also
serve as stop means for preventing the keyboard from being pivoted
below its storage/transportation position. In yet another aspect of
the present invention, the computer has an access opening in the
top of the base housing of the computer. In addition, the computer
motherboard is positioned in an upper portion of the base housing
to which access can be achieved through the access opening when the
keyboard structure is in the access position. The access opening
allows easy access to the computer's interior for inspection,
repair and upgrade purposes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified side elevational view of a representative
portable computer with a keyboard structure, the computer being
shown in an opened position with the keyboard in a releasably
latched storage/transport and horizontal use position;
FIG. 1A is an enlarged scale partial cross-sectional view through
the computer taken along the lines 1A--1A illustrating the position
of the respective indents of the keyboard structure and computer
housing comprising the latch assembly with the keyboard in the
releasably latched storage/transport and horizontal use
position.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a representative portable computer with
the keyboard structure in the preferred forwardly and downwardly
sloped use position.
FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 2A--2A
which illustrates the position of the respective indents of the
keyboard structure and the computer housing comprising the latch
structure with the keyboard in the preferred forwardly and
downwardly sloped use position.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a representative portable computer which
illustrates the keyboard structure in a perpendicular position to
the computer housing that allows access to the interior of computer
housing.
FIG. 4 is a partial top view of a representative portable computer
which illustrates the keyboard structure in a transverse access
position to the computer housing and shows a representative mother
board within the interior of the computer housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 1A, 2, and 4, in a preferred
embodiment thereof, the present invention incorporates a uniquely
positionable keyboard structure 10 in a compact portable computer
such as the representatively illustrated laptop or notebook
computer 12. The keyboard structure 10 has a front side portion 14;
a top key side portion 16 with an interior side 18 (see FIG. 1A);
and oppositely positioned left and right side walls 20 and 22 (FIG.
4) depending from the top key side portion 16. The computer 12
includes an open-topped, relatively thin rectangular base housing
24 formed from a molded plastic material. The base housing 24 has a
bottom wall 26 adapted to rest upon a suitable horizontal support
surface 28; a front wall 30, left and right side walls 32, 34 (see
FIG. 4) extending rearwardly from the opposite ends of front wall
30; a rear side portion 36; and an upstanding rear wall 38
extending parallel to the front wall 30.
A relatively thin rectangular plastic lid housing 40 is
conventionally secured to the rear side portion 38 of the base
housing 36 in a manner permitting the lid housing 40 to be pivoted
between its illustrated upright use position (see FIGS. 1 and 2)
and a lowered storage/transport position (not shown) in which the
lid housing 40 extends across and covers a top side of the base
housing 24. The lid housing 40 carries a monitor structure having a
screen portion 42 extending across the front side of the lid
housing 40 and visible to the computer user when the lid housing is
in its upwardly pivoted use position.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the keyboard structure 10 is supported on
the top side of the base housing 24 in a manner subsequently
described. When the lid housing 40 is initially raised to its
upright use position, the now exposed keyboard structure 10 is in
its storage/transport orientation in which the top key side 16
thereof extends across the top side of the base housing 24 and is
essentially parallel to the bottom wall 26 of the base housing 24
and thus the horizontal surface 28 upon which it rests.
In compact portable computers of conventional construction, this
horizontal orientation of the keyboard is the one that the computer
user is limited to during typing thereon. This is in contrast to
the more comfortable forwardly and downwardly sloping keyboard
orientation available in separate desktop computer keyboard
sections due to the incorporation therein of sloping housing
udersides and/or downwardly pivotable rear support legs. However,
in a unique manner that will be described herein, the keyboard
structure 10 in the computer 12 may be tilted upwardly from its
horizontal FIG. 1 position to the forwardly and downwardly sloping
tilted use orientation shown in FIG. 2 in which the keyboard
structure 10 is releasably locked to the base housing 24 and
provides the computer user with considerably more comfortable
typing hand and wrist positioning. It will be appreciated, of
course, that the keyboard 10 may also be used in its horizontal
orientation if so desired.
With reference now to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, as mentioned above, the
keyboard structure 10 is mounted on the top side of base housing
24, between its front and rear walls 30 and 38. The front side 14
of the keyboard structure 10 is pivotally connected to the base
housing 24 by a hinge 44 which allows the keyboard structure 10 to
be pivoted to an access position as shown in FIG. 3. This position
exposes the interior of the base housing 24 through an access
opening 46. Through access opening 46, the user can gain access to
motherboard 47 to replace or exchange components 49 or expand the
memory if so desired. This unique feature of the present invention
is particularly desirable when the motherboard is positioned in the
upper portion of the interior of the base housing with the
components facing upward toward the top of the computer. In such
instances, where there is no access opening on the top of the
computer as provided by the present invention or where the opening
to the interior of the computer is positioned on the bottom side of
the computer, accessibility to the component side of the
motherboard can be achieved only by disassembling the unit.
In addition, the present invention provides specially designed
latch means which allow the keyboard to be tilted to a more
desirable orientation. The latch means, which are discussed below,
are not only light weight, but are extremely simple in design and
cost effective. Thus, the advantages of having a tiltable keyboard
are gained at little production cost and without the addition of
any significant weight being added to the computer
Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 2A, the computer of the present
invention includes a simple latch assembly 48 for releasably
holding the keyboard structure 10 in either the storage/transport
position as shown in FIG. 1 or the tilted use position as shown in
FIGS. 2A. Preferably, latch assembly 48 is resilient and includes a
first generally planar wall portion 50 with a lower end portion 52
depending from at least one of the side walls 20, 22 of the
keyboard structure 10, and a partially spherical inwardly
projecting detent projection 56. The latch assembly 48 also
includes a second planar wall portion 58 extending upwardly from at
least one of the side walls 32, 34 of the base housing 24 and
having an upper end 62. Upper and lower detent depressions 64a and
64b are formed on the outer side of the second planar wall 58 and
lockingly receive the detent projection 56 to releasably hold the
lid 40 in a selected one of its tilted use and storage/transport
positions. Of course, it should be understood that while the
illustrated preferred embodiment shows cooperating curved detent
structures, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
the detent structures could be of varying designs which could
function to releasably interlock the detent wall portions.
Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate the fact that,
if so desired, more than two detent depressions could be used to
allow for varying degrees of keyboard slope.
The latch assembly 48 may also serve the dual purpose of a stop
means for preventing the downward pivoting of the keyboard
structure 10 past the storage/transport orientation. In a preferred
embodiment stop means 66 is comprised of abutting portions of the
keyboard structure 10 and the base housing 24. More specifically,
the downward motion of the keyboard structure 10 is stopped by the
upper end portion 62 of the second planar wall portion 58 coming
into contact with the interior side 18 of the keyboard structure 10
and a bottom end of the first planar wall portion 50 simultaneously
coming into contact an upwardly facing ledge 68 formed in at least
one of the side walls 32, 34 of the base housing 10. As readily
seen from the drawings, even if the ledge 68 is omitted, the stop
means would still be effective since the second end portion 62 of
planar wall portion 58 would still come into contact with the
interior side 18 of the keyboard 10. It is important to note that
the latch means 48 on the keyboard structure 10 and the base
housing 26 may be totally disengaged from one another so as to
allow the keyboard structure 10 to be pivoted to the transverse
access position shown in FIG. 3.
With a preferred embodiment of the tiltable keyboard structure 10
having been described, a description of its operation will now be
discussed. In use, computer 12 is generally stored in the closed
position and as such, the keyboard structure 10 will be in its
stored/transport position as shown in FIG. 1. When keyboard
structure 10 is in this position, the bottom end of the first
planar wall portion 50 of the latch assembly 48 will be
cooperatively engaged with the ledge 68 and the upper end portion
62 of the second planar wall portion 58 will be engaged with the
interior side 18 of the keyboard structure 10 as shown in FIG. 1A.
When use of the computer is desired, the lid 40 will be manually
pivoted to its upright use position. The keyboard structure 10 can
then be raised to its tilted use orientation as shown in FIG. 2 by
manually lifting up on the keyboard structure 10 with sufficient
force to disengage the interlocking detent structures 56, 64b shown
in FIG. 1A and subsequently engage the keyboard structure detent 56
with the base housing detent depression 64a as shown in FIG. 2A.
Alternatively, the latch means 48 may be disengaged by gently
lifting up keyboard structure 10 and displacing the first planar
wall portion 50 sufficiently to disengage the keyboard detent 56
from the base housing detent recess 64b.
When it is desired to store the computer, the keyboard structure 10
may be returned to its storage/transportation position by manually
pressing down on the keyboard structure 10 with sufficient force to
disengage the keyboard structure detent projection 56 from the base
housing detent recess 64a. Again, in the alternative, the latch
means 48 may be disengaged by gently pressing the keyboard
structure 10 down and displacing the first planar wall portion 50.
The stop means 66 will then prevent keyboard structure 10 from
being pressed below the storage/transport position.
If the user desires to access the interior of computer 12 from the
top, the user may lift up on keyboard structure 10 with sufficient
force to disengage and separate the cooperating detent wall
portions 50, 58. Once these detent wall portions are separated from
one another, the user may pivot the keyboard structure 10 to its
full upright access position as shown in FIG. 3. This access
position provides the user with access to the motherboard 47 within
the interior of the computer base housing 24. When the keyboard
structure 10 is so positioned, components may be added or replaced
as desired. After the desired modifications have been made, the
keyboard structure 10 is manually lowered and sufficient force is
applied to the keyboard structure 10 to releasably reengage the
overlapping detent wall portions 50, 58 in either the tilted use
position or the storage/transportation position.
The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as
being given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and
scope of the present invention being limited solely by the appended
claims.
* * * * *